Military goggles, industrial safety goggles, and other protective eyewear, all of which will be referred to herein using the term “goggles,” are characterized by a plate or lens that offers protection for a user's eyes while providing a relatively unobstructed view of objects beyond the lens. Typically, such lenses have a cylindrical shape, which is due at least in part to the fact that it is easier to manufacture and optically correct a cylindrical or spherical surface than it is to manufacture and optically correct non-cylindrical surfaces. In spite of those advantages, some lens manufacturers have experimented with non-cylindrical lenses in order to realize the advantages those non-cylindrical lenses provide. For example, elliptical lenses have been used in certain eyewear applications. Elliptical lenses have not been used, however, in eyewear applications where robust impact resistance and other ocular protection is required, likely because it is relatively more difficult to manufacture an elliptical goggle lens having the required protective properties. Accordingly, there exists a need for a goggle lens that meets certain impact resistance and other performance requirements while offering the advantages provided by an elliptical shape.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprise,” “include,” “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in an electrical or non-electrical manner.